the visit is going well, Beef trade dispute will hopefully be resolved, lumber still no progress. should be noted that 95% of trade between the two countries is going on without any problems.
Chanman she compares Canada to Animal Farm. yikes
Think Canada's the place to be? Think again
By Jennifer Meeks
Special to The Times
It has been said that Seattle mirrors Canada in its tolerant attitudes, but there is a dark side to this utopia across the border.
Canadians leave Canada for the U.S. every year. The Canadian government even has a name for us ? "The Brain Drain."
(actually though Canadians do leave for the US, some of them come back to Canada. the Brain Drain is over hyped and more of a made up story)
Why do we leave?
Taxes ? Ever wonder why you see so many rusty cars up north? It's not just because they salt the roads in the wintertime. People can't afford new ones.
(taxes need to be lowered, yes will not argue, but Canada is a rich country, not everyone drives around in a rust bucket or lives in a trailer park)
Official bilingualism ? This is what most of the taxes pay for.
(this is a pure lie. the writer has no idea what she is talking about. I will give her a five dollars for every dollar spent on bilingulism if she gives me one for every dollar spent on health care. )
Canada is officially bilingual and that means everything must be in French and English. Everything. It's the law.
(the stop sign outside is just in English, where I live you will find 99% of the signs just in English, followed by finish. then french.)
If you or your company do not comply with regulations then the official language "police" will be at your door. If you want to pursue a career in retail, the police, the post office, government, business and even the military, you must be bilingual.
(there are many high ranking officers in the cdn. military that have no or limited french. also in government (especially provincial). In Quebec they have a sign law, not in the rest of Canada. she makes it sound like they are on every corner)
Employment ? If you are English-speaking in Canada, it's difficult to find a job.
(I guess that is why people are crying out for skilled jobs, the majority of english speaking people have found employment. )
Salaries are much lower than in the U.S. When we moved to the U.S., my husband almost tripled his salary.
( a writer bases salaries on one person, her husband. that is scientific. at least for this writer)
Meanwhile, it is the norm for Canadian schools to have at least 40 kids per class ? that is, if the teachers are not on strike.
(when is the last teachers strike, and how long did it last. my brother is a teacher, cannot remember when the last time he went on strike, average in ontario is around 28-30, governemt want to get it down to 20)
Speaking of strikes. There are a lot of unhappy workers in Canada. I remember one summer when the bus drivers, postal workers, movie projectionists and government workers were all on strike.
(there was a study and overall strikes are down from ten years ago, the postal workers may be on strike in a few weeks (admin) but these are short and occur less often. again no facts. )
Political oppression ? Imagine an American president and one political party in power for over 10 years. That's what's happened in Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chr?tien's regime has been in control for more than a decade and the average Canadian is fed up and glad to see him go. Even then, it was his decision to allow an election. Hopefully, Canada will be able to make amends and repair its relationship with the U.S.
(there is an election in Canada every five years. it is a democracy, it was not his decissiion to allow an elecion. it happens must be called within 5 years of the last one, he can decide when to call it, thats it. also every federal leader has a leadership review at least once every two years (voted on by party members)
Living in Canada made me feel like a barn animal in George Orwell's "Animal Farm." My only worry is that someday the United States will resemble Canada. Sort of like one giant Seattle. That would be my nightmare.
(She compares Canada to Animal Farm, should be noted that Canada played a large part in George Orwells life. I doubt she ever read Animal Farm or 1984. what hatred for Canada)
thank god she is happy, she makes the country sound like a prison camp.
the trip will go fine, give and take and Martin will get some items (beef trade dispute) in return for help with Afganistan and maybe Norad.
as stated before 95% of trade is trouble free so the relationship is very solid. Unlike what the media likes to make a story of...
when I greet people from the US will have to say "welcome to Animal Farm" be carefull big brother is always watching....LOL :scared
thanks
selkirk